Hot Buns, Honey Buns
by ZacFan18
Summary: Katniss Everdeen hires a baker whose buns are tempting everyone, mostly herself.
1. Chapter 1

**Hot Buns, Honey Buns**

SUMMARY: Katniss Everdeen has hired a baker whose buns are tempting everyone, mostly herself.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Hunger Games. The Trilogy of course belongs to Suzanne Collins. This is purely a work done for leisure and not for profit and no copyright infringement is intended in the use of these characters, their setting, or their situation. No copyright infringement is intended for any music referenced within either.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was written for Everlark recs DD Week 4 challenge (May/December romance). And, yes, I decided to use the May/December aspect in a figurative as well as a more literal sense. Also, there's more schmoopy in this than I had originally intended but I'm still fairly pleased I think. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**May (Peeta):**

He was so happy to have gotten the job. He needed a good foot-in-the-door kind of job. It certainly wasn't that he didn't have some experience working with his family's businesses over the years, but he wanted to make his way into the business on his own, have a fresh start outside of his family's influence. Ms. Everdeen's cafe seemed like a great fit for him right now. It was a small establishment set in a respectable downtown district...respectable, not snooty. It was popular with a variety of crowds, from nearby university students to families to business folk to tourists. While the food was good, he suspected that the location and the atmosphere played a large part in the cafe's success. It wasn't just a cafe after all; it was an eating establishment with indoor and outdoor seating but it also had an attached book and gift shop. It had been one of his favorite places to go while in culinary school, which is why he was thrilled when he'd seen the posting for the baker position.

And it really didn't hurt that he'd been drooling over its owner for the past two years.

**June (Katniss):**

He really was quite good. She'd been initially skeptical though he'd come with great recommendations from his instructors at the culinary school. He'd just seemed so young. 20. She'd seen him coming to the cafe over the past couple years, alone and pulling out his books to study or purchasing a gift here and there from the shop, or with friends, laughing over a meal. She hadn't been sure he wasn't kidding when he'd approached her about the job. But when he'd very professionally handed her his resume along with several containers, samples of his tasty creations, she'd allowed him the benefit of the doubt. When she'd later tasted the goodies he had brought, she'd placed his name into her more serious pool of candidates. And after having several very full of themselves pastry chefs and cupcake artists flutter through her kitchen, his passionate but unassuming in-house demonstration had won her over...that and the tastegasms his additional samples had produced, just like those he had initially brought her. So, she'd figured "what the hell?" She needed someone she could actually stand having in her employ, someone Sae, her main chef could work with as well.

And it didn't hurt that he was charming as all get out and pretty easy on the eyes. There was no harm in looking, right?

**July (Peeta):**

35. That's how old she was. Or, rather, that was her age; there was nothing old about her. He had always enjoyed what he had seen of her physically as well as the interactions with other people that he had witnessed before. But now he was one of those people and everything he got to see just solidified the fact that she was perfect ...or perhaps just imperfect in ways that were perfect for him. Like the way she made stupid faces to make fun of herself when she forgot something, miscounted something, or just generally made some error, and then how the act of making the face sometimes made her crack up. Or how she'd start swaying her hips, moving her head, moving her torso minimally and/or mouthing words to a good song as it played over the sound system. Or how she looked away in immediate reaction to any compliment before offering either a simple thank you or some form of denial or both. Or how she didn't take any sugar in her hot tea either.

**August (Katniss):**

His cinnamon buns were flying off the baked goods case shelf. The cafe was serving up a fair-sized brunch crowd that Sunday. She was very pleased by the success they'd continued to see. When she'd begun this endeavor after her divorce from Gale, her family had been less than confident and supportive in her decision. Now, they sat at a table, laughing and enjoying their strawberry-banana crepes, another Peeta contribution to the menu that had proven a crowd favorite. She would go join them soon, but first, her counter girl Sara was plating the last bits of cinnamon heaven still available up front. She nodded reassurance to Sara and pushed through the doors to the kitchen, moving toward the back corner that the blonde baker had made his own. He was currently turned away from her, bent over what looked like a fresh batch of just the item she needed.

"Everyone loves your buns!"

He froze, stood up straight, and then turned slowly, cocking an eyebrow at her with questioning amusement.

Katniss' eyes grew wide with realization of what she'd just said and she clapped her hands over her mouth as if to push the words back in and start over. But it was too late for that. At least he looked amused.

"Your cinnamon buns. I need more for out front. Everyone's buying them up."

Peeta nodded and smiled. "Here's some more," he said, handing her a plate of a half dozen that had already been iced. His fingers brushed hers as she accepted the plate and she almost dropped it from the pleasurable jolt that slight touch sent through her body. "I'll bring these other ones out as soon as I finish icing them."

"Um, thanks Peeta."

"Of course. Glad folks are enjoying them."

She turned and took the plate out to Sara and told her more were on the way. Then, she grabbed a cinnamon bun for herself, made her way over to the table where her parents, younger sister and brother-in-law were seated, and lowered herself into the big booth to join them for a bit.

"Take a load off, sweetheart," her father said kindly.

"Yes, Katniss, you look all flushed. You must be rushing around too much," her mother added.

She looked down, dug her fork into the hot, gooey mass in front of her and brought a substantial piece to her mouth. She closed her eyes briefly as she let the sweet, buttery flavor melt on her tongue. It really was to die for. A noise pulled her from her silent moment of enjoyment. Her eyes were drawn to the baked goods counter and to the smooth, smiling cheeks of her favorite employee. He was joking with Sara and handing her two new plates of items, the promised cinnamon buns and some assorted danish. She found the way Sara couldn't tear her eyes away from his face very irritating.

"Is that it, Katniss?" Prim murmured.

"Huh?"

"Is that the reason you're so flushed?"

"What? No! Don't be silly."

"Uh huh," her sister replied under her breath, not convinced. "And I shall be silly...life is really lived within the silly."

Katniss made a face at her younger sibling.

"He looks like someone who might be able to agree with me. Maybe you should introduce us," she teased.

"Maybe you should remind me when Rory, your husband, gets back into town."

"Ooh, touchy!"

"Eat your crepes." It didn't matter that they were now both in their thirties. She knew Prim was still strongly fighting the urge to stick her tongue out at her and she was fighting the urge to pull her hair. When she looked away from her sister, she could see that her parents were just smiling slyly at her. It was annoying. But theirs wasn't the only smile being directed at her at that moment. She felt it before she saw it, but when she did, she dared to smile back. It was just the friendly, encouraging boss thing to do, after all.

**September (Peeta):**

He was not imagining it. He caught her watching him from time to time and the lovely tinge of pink on her cheeks right before she turned away made it seem like she was doing more than just appraising his work. He loved it. It didn't matter that she should be more mature than him, and in many ways she truly was. He could still make her blush and it made him feel proud. It gave him hope.

They were working a busy shift together. Sae had had to leave unexpectedly when her granddaughter had taken a fall and needed to be examined at the hospital. So, Katniss had surprisingly stepped in to get them through their remaining checks for the night. He guessed he shouldn't have been surprised. It's not that there was any particular reason for him to think she couldn't cook. He just hadn't seen it before. He was impressed and he told her so.

"Oh, thanks! Well, I've learned a lot from Sae," she downplayed the compliment.

"I'll bet this isn't all Sae though."

"Well, not entirely. I liked to collect herbs from the woods behind our house when I was younger, so then I figured out different ways to use them. I used to hunt a lot with my dad too, so I learned a bit about various meats and their handling too."

"Used to?"

"We still go sometimes. We're just both busier these days."

It was the most personal information she'd shared in four months. He wanted more but servers and line cooks were still bustling about, leaving, preparing, and retrieving orders. A while later, he was pleased to hear her voice directed at him once again.

"Peeta, hot buns, need more of your hot buns!"

He nearly choked on the sip of water he had just allowed himself. He coughed to try to cover up that reaction. He turned to see her blushing furiously but persevering.

"Honey buns..."

She slapped her palm to her face. "The honey drizzled buns...rolls...you're offering tonight." He was tempted to make a comment about how he would offer her any buns she wanted that night but knew that would be taking it too far. "Oh God. I'm not...don't sue me for sexual harassment. Words are just always against me. I don't mean to keep putting my foot in my mouth," she offered with an apologetic shrug.

He remembered a similar incident about a week ago. He remembered it fondly. "I wouldn't sue you." Not even close. He paused a moment wondering if she might understand that he would welcome her attentions. "And the words...kind of a hazard with my line of work," he joked. "Others have much worse hazards, right?"

She eyed him with a bit of relief and maybe something else...curiosity? "Yes, I guess."

"So, how many more tables need rolls?"

"Six."

"Okay. I'll have more baskets ready in a few."

"Thanks."

When the last patrons had exited the cafe and Katniss had locked the front and side doors and the gate to the outdoor seating area, Peeta watched as she ran through the kitchen closing motions of clean up and prep for tomorrow. He worked on his own closing tasks and eventually, as the servers and other kitchen staff finished up theirs, they cleared out and he found himself alone in the restaurant with the object of his affections.

She was bustling around, slightly out of breath and, he thought, maybe trying to ignore the fact that it was just the two of them now.

"Hey," he tried, "is there anything I can help you with?"

"Umm, rewind a couple hours and find a niche of time in which I might have actually eaten dinner?"

He chuckled as her stomach growled just then to punctuate her thought. "While I don't yet have time-manipulating powers..."

"Yet?" she asked, amused.

"I aspire to it. I'll keep wishing on stars, eyelashes, you name it...it'll happen someday."

"Well, I hope you're still around when it does because that would be pretty useful."

"I hope I am too."

He was either making her uncomfortable in a bad way or a good one but one way or the other, she was getting that his words held more than surface meaning. She looked like she was currently holding her breath and was trying to decide if she should walk away now. He didn't want that.

"Anyway, what I do have are leftover buns, rolls, whatever. I was going to have some. Interested? They'll go to waste otherwise."

The corners of her lips curved slightly and he saw the interest in her eyes. He didn't know why folks always said the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. At least he didn't know why they singled men out. In his experience, albeit only 20 years of it, it seemed women's stomachs were also well-connected to their hearts and their heads. And it was currently the top way he could think of to get her to spend more time with him.

She seemed to consider for a moment. "I am a fan of minimizing our kitchen's waste."

He smiled. "Good. Come, sit." He motioned to two stools in his working area and sat down once she had, pulling the leftover basket between them on the counter. "Ladies first."

She grinned and reached over, plucking a moist roll from the top of the basket. Peeta followed suit and watched as she bit into hers, holding her other hand out beneath it to catch the few flaky crumbs that fell as she did so. He licked his lips and took a bite of his own roll. They really were decadent. He was glad he had gotten the honey butter combination just right, with just a hint of cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest. Her lashes dusted her cheeks for a moment as she closed her eyes in enjoyment. "You may be the king of carbs."

He laughed. "That is the title I prefer."

"Fine then. These shall henceforth be known as 'His Majesty's buns.' That should get even more orders for them, huh?"

"It might. We could vary the listing each time. 'His Majesty's honey buns,' 'His Majesty's sweet buns,' 'His Majesty's sticky buns,' 'His Majesty's hot buns'…"

Katniss was laughing and shaking her head at him.

"No, really. It could be the cafe's new marketing technique. 'Come check out our buns! You won't be able to stop grabbing them!' Why are you laughing? You should be in awe of my marketing genius."

"Peeta…" Katniss wheezed. "You…are never…taking over marketing."

He sent her a wide grin as she caught her breath from all of her giggling. God, she was beautiful. He feigned a pout and gave a dramatic huff. "Fine. My buns and I will just have to continue to be quietly life-changing."

She opened her mouth like she wanted to respond but then shut it, laughed again, blushed slightly and brought another bite of her roll to her mouth. Smiling, he did the same.

"So, it seems to me there is only so much school can teach you. You've been making life-changing food for some time, haven't you?" she asked once they'd paused in their chewing again.

He glanced down at the basket for a moment and then met her eyes again. "You could say it runs in the family. My parents have run some successful baking businesses. So, yes, I've been at this much of my life."

"But you're not working for them now. So, you do enjoy it for yourself, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. I didn't mean to sound like it was something thrown on me that I didn't appreciate. I feel…right, I guess, being in a kitchen, creating and ultimately making people feel good with what I create. It's what I want to be doing. But no, I don't want to be doing it in their shadow. I don't mean that in an ungrateful way either. They've taught me a ton, obviously. I just don't want to get somewhere without earning it, you know?"

She nodded her understanding. "Yeah, I know. That's pretty admirable, Peeta."

He offered her a small smile and a quiet "thanks" before popping the final bite of his roll into his mouth. She chewed the last of hers as well, alternately looking at him and at various points around him.

When they finished, he noticed that she had a little bit of honey dripping down from one corner of her lips. He licked his own and fought the urge to lean forward and lick the liquid away before licking his way into her mouth. He shifted on his stool.

"Um, you have a little honey right there," he said, pointing his finger tentatively toward her face.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, embarrassed, before attempting to swipe at the liquid. But her fingers were wet too and she only succeeded in adding another smear to her face.

"Um, nope. That didn't help," Peeta observed with a chuckle.

"Crap," she said, sticking a finger in her mouth and trying to suck all of the honey butter from it before doing the same with another.

He sucked in a breath. That was just not fair. Some higher power somewhere hated him. Because how was his body not supposed to react to that?

"Wait a sec." He took a look at his own hands. Whereas she had torn her roll in half, thus getting both hands a bit greasy, he had only held his roll with one hand. He considered her potential rejection for just a moment before taking a chance and reaching his clean hand toward her face. Her eyes widened when she gathered his intention but she didn't move and she didn't tell him not to swipe his thumb gently under the drop of light liquid, lifting it away from her face, which is exactly what he did…slowly, savoring the delicious electricity that passed between them as he did so.

She felt it too. The way her lips parted unconsciously and her breathing quickened as he did so told him so. He brought his thumb back to his own lips and sucked the drop of honey from it, his eyes on hers. He couldn't help himself. He knew he was playing with fire. She could terminate his employment at any time for being inappropriate. But it wasn't the employment that mattered most to him. He wasn't sure if it ever had been.

He watched her eyes lower to his mouth and then rise up to meet his eyes again. He pulled his thumb away from his mouth and sent a flirty smile her way. She hesitated briefly before returning it. And for several moments, several long moments, he thought this might turn out to be the best night of his life. Because he was leaning and she was leaning and the space between their faces would soon be non-existent.

And then it was back again entirely and Katniss was on her feet, turning away from him, flustered, muttering about needing to let him go home or not wanting to keep him from his home or something of that nature. She moved to a sink and rinsed her fingers of the remnants of honey butter still on them, drying them with a paper towel she discarded in a nearby trashcan. Peeta stood, trying to get his bearings and figure out exactly what just happened. He followed her lead and rinsed the hand that he had held a roll with, choosing not to rinse the hand that had touched her face minutes ago. He watched as she gathered up her things and he turned, frowning, to do the same with his own. He took a moment though to toss the extra honey-drizzled buns in a take home box before tossing the napkin from the basket in the laundry bin and replacing the basket itself with all of the others stacked at his station.

He caught up to her at the back door, ready to let them both out and lock up behind them. He had his jacket and helmet in one hand and the box in the other. "Katniss…" He loved saying her name, even if the circumstances were not as he'd like them to be. He wished it were his special privilege but she had told all of her employees to call her by her first name because Ms. Everdeen just felt too stuffy to her. She didn't let him say whatever brilliant thing he thought he might be able to come up with anyway.

"Thank you for everything tonight, Peeta. Your service is just so solid and the quality of the food you make…and your teamwork in the kitchen, pitching in even in areas you don't normally handle…well, our patrons benefit and all of our staff do as well. I do. So, thank you."

"Katniss…"

"And for the late night carbs. Just what I needed."

Peeta studied her, trying to decide how much of a gamble he was willing to take that night. He finally shifted his weight from one foot to another, nodded, and pushed the box into her hands. "Here. Have some more for at home."

"Oh. Thank you," she responded, a bit surprised.

He slipped into his jacket and pulled his helmet onto his head, securing the strap beneath his chin. "And you're welcome, for everything. I enjoy every moment of my time here. Every moment."

She didn't respond, just watched him closely, with that conflicted look in her eyes that he'd been noticing more and more over the past couple months. He turned and walked over to his bike, climbing on and starting the engine as Katniss moved over to her car and climbed inside, doing the same.

"Have a good night, Katniss," he called over to her, just as she was reaching out to pull her door shut.

"You too, Peeta," she said before shutting it and staring at him as he turned out of the small parking lot and zoomed off down the now dark and quiet road.

**October (Katniss):**

It was no use. She had been trying to keep her distance, not so much physically as you could only keep so much distance in the small square footage the cafe occupied, but also mentally and emotionally. She tried not to enjoy his laugh or his easygoing manner as she continued to observe both in passing through the kitchen or seeing him chat with other staff or with customers up at the baked goods display. She tried not to give more thought to the innovative ideas he brought to the establishment's menu or kitchen processes other than to evaluate them from the business standpoint and recognize them as she would had they come from anyone else. And she tried not to notice that he had been calling her over more often to taste test some of these new ideas or that everything she tasted seemed to somehow be some re-creation of something she already loved. Or that she more often than not apparently got a bit of whatever she'd tasted somewhere else on her face and he was very efficient in wiping it off for her. Or that other times when he called her name, she had her hands full such that he was kind enough to just hold whatever she was tasting right up to her mouth. She tried not to notice but she did. She noticed everything. She noticed how his eyes sparkled as he told her about his latest creation and how they changed color with his mood or the time of day or the surrounding atmosphere. She noticed that he had different ways of saying "yes," from a lighter, quicker "yes" to requests or simple questions from his co-workers in the kitchen, to a more drawn out "yes" in a lower tone of voice if he was humored or exasperated by the person or question being asked, to a more breathy "yes," which she had only heard when she'd caught him heavily involved in what he was making or rushing back to his station, but which she also heard in her dreams at night. She wanted to hear that breathy "yes" more and she didn't want it to have anything to do with work.

And that was the problem. He worked for her. At work relationships were not the best idea. She could imagine too many ways in which one could go sour. And then there was the whole fact that she could have babysat him in the past. That was a little hard to ignore. But…it was also becoming a little hard to remember too.

**November (Peeta):**

She would only let him so far but he was still as happy as he could ever remember being. He liked just being in her presence. Loved, not liked. It was her shy smile and the one she wore when she poked fun at herself. It was the books she recommended for him when he asked. It was the way he'd catch her humming the tune of a song he'd told her about. It was the way she let him touch her face when she tasted his foods. It was the way his name sounded on her lips. And she was speaking it again.

"Peeta, thanks for working right up to the holiday. We could've run off your recipes or just served up limited offerings."

"It's fine. My parents decided to fly to Europe to visit my oldest brother and his family there. Rye, my other older brother, is just doing dinner with his in-laws. I wasn't keen on joining either this year when they asked, so really, I don't plan to do much more than parade watch, sports watch and make myself something to get my tryptophan high on."

"Oh." She turned to hang a clean pan back up on the rack and he admired the arc of her back and the little sliver of olive skin he saw at the bottom of it as she stretched and her shirt rose up. He averted his eyes as she turned back around.

"Is that...I mean, I understand the joy in quiet solitude at times but, um...well, if you did feel like hanging around other people, my family's getting together for the parade and food prep in the a.m. before eating our tryptophan-filled lunch. Football will undoubtedly follow. You're welcome to join us...if you want."

He hadn't been expecting that. He had genuinely planned on spending the day alone since he just hadn't felt like dealing with the drama of his family and their expectations this year. But to have the chance to spend it with Katniss' family? Albeit, it wasn't "come over to my place tonight and in the morning we can watch the parade together" but it was still an invitation into a day in her life. Even if it was a pity ask, he wanted the opportunity.

"You're sure your family wouldn't mind?"

Katniss looked nervous momentarily but then smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure. They've been enamored with your food for months. They'll probably feel honored to have his majesty, the king of carbs joining us."

He grinned at her reference to the night they'd shared his honey butter rolls - the night they'd almost shared more than that. He'd been trying to be patient, trying to give her time to be okay with what he felt they could have. He thought it just might be working. He really hoped it was.

"Well, as long as I get to wear my crown."

"Feel free...as long as it's an invisible one."

"But, of course."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"My parents' house is in the country. It's a little tricky to find. If you want, I can pick you up and drive us."

"That'd be great."

...

The whole day had been great. Peeta sat in the passenger seat thinking back on it as Katniss drove him back to his place. That morning, she had picked him up out front of his apartment and they had driven outside of town and down the winding country roads that led to the Everdeen residence. Her family had been very welcoming and they had fawned over the pies and cookies he had brought for dessert. He was glad he had stayed up late making them, even though Katniss had told him he hadn't needed to work to be part of their gathering. He'd assured her he was glad to do it, that he would probably have done more work feeding himself that day if he hadn't been lucky enough to get to join her family.

He had enjoyed seeing her in different surroundings. He had enjoyed the way her sister, Prim, seemed to be teasing her about him, in a good way. Prim seemed to like him. They all did. No one had treated him like he was any particular age, just like he was Peeta, Katniss' friend. And Katniss had seemed to follow suit, joking more easily with him, talking about anything that came up, asking him more about his interests, his time in school, his work experiences. It had been great.

They pulled up outside of his apartment and he inwardly gave himself a strong push forward.

"Do you wanna come in? I'll make you that tiramisu hot chocolate I was talking about earlier."

"I..."

"Would love to, Peeta. Thanks for asking."

She closed her mouth and looked to be fighting a smile. "Okay."

"That answer is acceptable as well," he teased with a grin.

He led her up to his apartment and she seemed impressed by how well he kept it. She sat down at his dining room table and talked with him as he worked in the adjacent kitchen. When he was done, he carried the mugs into his living room and motioned for her to join him.

They sat down on his sofa. He took out his phone and turned a playlist on his Sonos system on before pushing it back in his pocket. Katniss blew on and then took a careful sip of her cocoa.

"Oh my God, this is good," she assessed, shutting her eyes with the pleasure of it.

He smirked and took a sip from his own mug. "Not like I told you or anything."

"Hey," she fake warned.

They grinned at each other and sipped their drinks further.

"Under the Bridge" began playing on the speakers and Katniss shot him a look of surprise.

"You listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers? This came out the year you were born or something."

Peeta scoffed. "So what and yes, I listen to it. Enjoyable music's still enjoyable no matter what decade it is."

She shrugged. "Okay, okay. True. I just didn't expect that."

"Do I want to know what you did expect?"

"Um, maybe not," she said guiltily.

That made him chuckle. "Well, stick around, kid. There's much to learn."

She looked bemused and intrigued and maybe a bit nervous.

"I should learn this recipe."

"Mmm...nope."

"Nope?" She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

He pursed his lips and he noticed it drew her eyes to them. "Maybe not nope entirely. But it'll cost you."

"What exactly?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

He narrowed his eyes right back at her, considered the various ways he could answer that and then decided on one that might surprise her most. "Information...and a dance. I'll take the dance first." He set his mug down swiftly on the coffee table and stood up.

"What? Peeta..."

"Up. Come on. The cocoa's worth it."

"I..."

"Katniss..."

She paused a moment as the opening notes to the song he had just programmed from his phone came on. And then she burst out laughing, set her mug down and stood uncertainly.

"You want me...to do the Macarena?"

"No. I want us to do the Macarena. Get ready." He grinned devilishly at her and she shook her head incredulously, moving around the table as he had done to stand in a more open section of the room between the table and the tv.

She laughed again as the familiar chorus began and her arms somehow remembered how they were supposed to move. She knew the color was rising to her cheeks when they got to the part where they were touching their asses but the second time they did the routine when she dared to look at him, it cracked her up completely seeing him making a show of those moves. She realized he was being nothing but silly and just purely having fun and it made her want to just do so too. They danced the rest of the song getting more and more exaggerated with their movements and laughing at one another and themselves. When it ended, they moved back to the sofa and collapsed back onto it, exhilarated and still laughing.

"What song did you think I wanted you to dance to?"

"I...don't know. Something slow I guess."

"And you feared so strongly that I'd step on your toes that you were trying to figure a way out of it?" he teased.

"Mmmaybe," she evaded.

"Hmm. Okay, so the information component of my price." He watched her shift nervously, pulling one of her legs up under her. "What's your favorite color?"

She laughed with relief. He'd caught her off guard again. "That's the information you seek?"

"Not all of it."

"Okay. Green."

"Thought so. You wear it a lot. A good choice. It's fresh, inspiring...like you."

Would her cheeks ever get to be their normal shade around him? She didn't know why he affected her so. She wasn't some blushing school girl. When she was in school, she hadn't been some blushing school girl. Gale, her ex, who had also been her high school boyfriend, would laugh his ass off at the idea. Gale...he would also laugh or scoff or both if he could see her sitting here so cozily with a 20 year old baker who also happened to be in her employ.

"And now you're frowning. Why?"

Shit. She'd gotten caught up in her thoughts. "I'm not. I mean, the question just made me think of my ex."

It was Peeta's turn to frown. "He wasn't a fan of green?"

"Something like that."

"What happened between you? I mean, if you don't mind my asking...since you mentioned him."

"It's complicated. Or, I don't know, maybe it's not. Suffice it to say we tried for too long to be people we just weren't and, in the end, we just wanted different things."

"Okay," he let it go at that for now, not wanting to talk about her ex-husband anyway but still hoping she might confide in him further down the road, just so he could know her needs and dreams and desires more. But for now he really just wanted to know about one desire. "What are you thankful for?"

That one made her think for a moment. "A lot of things. I'm alive and well so that's up there of course. I have a good family whom I love very much. I have a successful business, a home I enjoy...soon a delicious hot chocolate recipe..."

Her smile made him rethink his next question but he wanted to know where they stood. He needed to.

"Why did you really not want to slow dance with me?"

She blanched and he saw her drawn out swallow as she processed the question and the ramifications of her answer.

"It didn't seem like a good idea. Listen, I should probably get going..."

She started to rise but he grabbed hold of her arm. "Why?"

"Because it's getting late and it's been a long day."

"No, why didn't it seem like a good idea?"

She sighed and looked away, worrying her lip as she did so. He waited, heard the shaky breaths she took as she considered her answer. Just about the time he thought she might not answer at all, she spoke quietly.

"Because I knew I'd like it."

He felt his heart thump loudly in his chest. "Let's find out for sure."

She turned and looked at him as he selected a song quickly and then stood, reaching out his hand.

She stared at it for a long moment before slipping her own into it and rising. They moved around their respective ends of the table and then stepped closer to each other.

As "No Other Love" by John Legend began to play, they inched ever closer to each other until his hand rested at the small of her back, his other still holding her hand between his upper chest and her own. Their legs moved them along with the slow beat, their bodies swaying with the melody, naturally drifting through it together.

She didn't like it. Like was not an adequate word for what moving like this with him made her feel.

He looked at her eyes but she was staring at his shoulder.

He looked at her hair. She looked at his chin.

He looked at her lips. She parted them slightly.

He looked at their hands. She looked at his cheek.

He looked to her eyes again. She was looking into his. He searched hers and she didn't look away.

"I want to kiss you," he said huskily, hoping fervently that she wouldn't reject him.

He felt her chest rise and fall more heavily against him. He saw her bite her lip for a moment and then give the slightest nod. He released her hand and brought his up to her cheek, giving it a gentle stroke with his thumb. Then, he moved the hand on her back up too so that he was fully cupping her face. Her eyes were wide as they watched his but they fluttered shut as he drew her face nearer to his and captured her lips with his own.

They took it slowly, getting used to the feel of it-how it felt between them, then melting bit by bit, getting lost in the headiness.

Katniss pulled away. "We shouldn't...shouldn't do this."

Peeta stared intently into her eyes, not letting go of her. "I disagree. I'll do what you want, Katniss. I'll respect your wishes. But I really want this and I think you do too."

"Peeta," she whispered, thoughts and feelings still obviously warring within her.

"What are you afraid of? We're both adults. It's a legal designation as well as a conscious decision to do responsible things...hold a job, take care of a home, be respectful of others and know how to balance their needs with your own. It doesn't matter that you got there first. We're both there. And the cafe...I love it there but my reason for that has become more and more about you. So, I'd leave the job to gain the chance with you, if you felt it was best. I just want to try, Katniss. Please."

She swallowed and brought her hands up to his face too, considering its youth but also its strong lines. It was set. He was set on all he'd just said. He felt a conviction about it and he was sincere. One could be hard-pressed to find another who felt that way, who had such determination for you, in someone of any age. He wasn't a kid. He knew his own mind and his own heart and both wanted her. And she wanted to try.

She slid her fingers into his hair, sighed softly and tilted her head back toward his, the first to touch her lips to his this time.

Their kiss went further than before. He darted his tongue out only to find hers searching as well, her mouth opening to him. He groaned his pleasure and moved his hands down to her waist, pulling her closer to him as they tasted one another, teased, communicated desire. She pulled back again and he steeled himself, unnecessarily it turned out.

"Why are you so...?" she began, a mix of happy, exasperated and incredulous.

"Irresistable?" he supplied, giving her a flirty wink and making her laugh. "I don't know, but I think you should devote a substantial amount of time to researching that."

"You do, huh?"

"I do."

"Classy Girls" by the Lumineers began to play and he smiled at her before pulling her back over to the couch and down into his lap. Their lips found each other again and after a while, their hands began to wander. She slid her hands down over his chest and his slid over her hips as he repositioned them so that she was reclining against a throw pillow at the end of the couch and he was hovering over her. He dragged his lips from hers so he could place kisses along her jaw and back to her earlobe and an area behind her ear she seemed to respond really well to. Her soft moan and the way she clutched at his body spurred him on and he continued his trail of kisses down to her neck and over her collar bone. She kicked her shoes off and drew one knee up against the back cushion of the sofa, bringing her hips that much closer to his. He kissed the other side of her face and neck and she pulled the weight of his body more fully against her.

"Katniss," Peeta said, pulling back to look into her eyes, "I'm thankful...for you."

She studied his face, his sincerity clear, and then said "I'm thankful for you too, Peeta." They stared at each other for several moments more, both smiling softly. Then Katniss joked, "Do I get that cocoa recipe now?"

Peeta chuckled and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "I'll think about it." He brushed his lips over hers again. "I still need more information."

She held her breath and stared up into his eyes, waiting for and silently encouraging him to say more.

"I'd like to know..." He paused, nervous, trying to put his thoughts into words. "Will you stay the night?"

Several breaths and a score of heartbeats passed between them before she answered. "Yes. I'll stay."

His grin was ear-splitting. "Great, because I'd really like to see how you'd do at the Electric Slide."

"You don't want to challenge me on that. You'd be toast."

"Hmm. And the Tootsie Roll?"

"Toast there too. Come 'ere."

She pulled on his shirt and brought his smiling lips back down to hers. This time, as they were kissing, she moved her fingers deftly over each of the buttons on his shirt, unbuttoning them one by one before sliding the shirt down over his broad shoulders. He shifted his torso, helping her to remove the garment from him. He felt her hands on his bare back and slid his own under the hem of her shirt over her back, her sides and her abdomen. He felt her shiver beneath him and pulled back to see her face. It showed longing. Not surprising - they had been building up to this since the moment he first set foot in her cafe, whether they knew it or not. She sat up slightly and he watched as she reached down and pulled her shirt up over her head. The heat shot straight to his groin.

But he wasn't going to rush this. He wasn't going to hesitate either, because he didn't want her to change her mind, didn't want her to over think and get scared and run. He moved his hands up her sides until his thumbs lightly caressed the outer curves of her breasts. He brought his mouth back to her neck and her collar bone before teasing kisses down along the outline of her bra, lingering with teasing licks between her orbs before following the line back up the other side. Her soft pants of anticipation only spurred him on further. She needed to know that, while he was young, he wasn't inexperienced and while he was most certainly excited, he was still in control. He wasn't about to disappoint her.

With this in mind, he found her lips again and then wetly, hotly, and achingly steadily plundered her mouth with his tongue as he found her nipples with his fingers. She gasped and moaned into his mouth and arched into his touch, entwining her calves with his and grinding her hips upwards with abandon. Shit, she was hot! He allowed himself the non-relieving relief of grinding his hardening length into the juncture between her thighs a few times before making himself separate from her and rise from the couch. She looked up at him through lust-fogged eyes and he took hold of her hands, tugging her up into a standing position as well. He inclined his head toward the hallway and she seemed to understand, nodding slightly and following him as he led her back to his bedroom.

Once there, they stood just inside the room and he turned from her briefly to find a lighter and light the few candles he had in the room. Then, he stood in front of her again and moved his arms behind her, holding her gaze as he unfastened the hooks of her bra and then hooked his index fingers beneath the shoulder straps, sliding it away from her body and dropping it to the floor. She sucked in a breath as he brought his hands back and drug his thumbs down each exposed slope, grazing the erect nubs at the ends of each before moving his touch along the undersides of each swell. "You're beautiful, Katniss. Perfect."

He meant it. She was everything he had imagined so far and more. The look she sent him made his heart expand in his chest and his cock leap within his pants. Supporting her with one hand behind her back, he cupped one breast and bent to it, taking the nipple into his mouth and suckling it. He switched hands and repeated the same with her other breast. He was purposefully gentle, leaving her wanting more. Releasing her moistened peak, he swept his front arm beneath her legs and picked her up, cradling her body as he carried her over to his bed. She looked up at him with surprise and then clung to him until he pulled back his bedding and set her down on smooth, cool sheets. Then, resting one knee on the bed, he reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, moving slowly enough that she could stop him if she wanted to but swiftly enough that she could read his desire clearly. She lifted her hips as he eased the pants from her body. She watched as he pulled off his shoes and socks and removed his pants before joining her on the bed.

They lay only in their underwear and Peeta felt overtaken by his need to kiss and touch her everywhere, to show her all he'd been longing to do with her for the past, well, few years really. He moved his body over hers, pressed himself to the vee between her legs, teased them both. He pushed her arms up above her head and kissed her from the top of her head on down her face, neck and chest. He alternately lashed and laved her nipples with his tongue and placed little love bites all over her breasts and her stomach on a determined path southward. She cooed and crowed, gasped and growled, showing all the beautiful contrasts of her pleasure. He pushed her panties to the side and might've nearly sent her reeling off the bed had he not been holding one thigh as he plunged his tongue into her depths.

"Fuck! Peeta!" she rasped as he licked her relentlessly.

He flicked his tongue over her clit as he slid a finger inside her. He pumped her with it, added another, and then pumped her with both as he sucked on her most sensitive flesh. She raked his hair with her fingers and dug her heels into his back as she built to and found her climax, shuddering against his generous mouth and crying out something unintelligible. He waited until she could open her eyes to look at him again before sliding up next to her and kissing her, sharing her own sweet taste with her. She wrapped her legs around his and held him to her as she kissed him and ran her hands all over his body, her fingers grazing his nipples, her palms pressing into his back and squeezing his ass. With a lustful feminine growl, she pushed him away just long enough to flip him onto his back and straddle him. He pulled her head back down to his and tugged on her lower lip with his teeth. She panted her approval and slid her hand down over his ripped abs, grasping his erection through his boxer briefs. He let out a long, low moan as she began to stroke him from base to tip and then back again. She kissed her way across his chest as she continued her motions, also stretching her hand out over the fullness of his balls and lightly fondling them as well. She slipped her hand inside his underwear and pulled him from it through the front opening and they both wondered if the whimper that accompanied this action had escaped from him or from her. The skin on skin contact felt amazing and Peeta uttered her name as he pressed himself even further into her palm.

Soon, Katniss seemed to grow impatient with their position and inched herself backward until she had the waistband of his boxers gripped by her fingers. She gave him a truly seductive look and divested him of them swiftly but smoothly. Her eyes dropped to his throbbing member, enjoying the full view of him straining before her. An appreciative smile took up residence on her face before she lowered it, her tongue darting out to lick his tip teasingly. She grasped him once more in her hand and held him firmly as she twirled her tongue around the head of his penis before sucking it into her mouth. She focused only at the top for a minute or so, suckling the bulbous head, placing her lips right at its underside and sucking there, moving along the sensitive nerve there as though she were playing a harmonica. Peeta let his head drop back, his eyes shut tightly. The pleasure from her actions was intense.

"Shit, that feels good," he breathed.

"Good," she whispered back, repeating her ministrations a few more times before taking his entirety into her mouth. He let out a strangled moan and sunk his fingers into her hair as she easily found a rhythm, bobbing her head up and down his shaft. Her hands massaged his upper thighs, his sac and his ass and he fought not to lose his load down her throat because the sight of her there, enjoying him so thoroughly...it was almost too much.

He tugged roughly at her arms and she released him, allowed him to pull her up next to him and to kiss her hard. He tasted the saltiness of himself on her tongue, felt her bare breasts pressed against him, felt her hand on his hip. He needed her…badly. He released her lips and reached over to his nightstand drawer to retrieve a condom. Tearing the wrapper hastily and tossing it aside, he rolled the thin layer down over his length, then moved his body atop hers, positioned his hips between her thighs and pressed his engorged head to her opening.

"God, I've wanted this for so long, Katniss," he dared to say, holding her eyes as he pushed himself inside her. Enveloped by her heat, he took a moment to just breathe and enjoy the sensation. Her eyes were heavily lidded and her mouth was parted from the breath she had panted out as he had filled her. She brought a hand up to his cheek and pulled his mouth down to hers for another kiss as her other hand caressed his back. She wrapped her legs around him as he began to move, giving her long, slow strokes to begin with and kissing every part of her he could reach as he did so. "You're so wet," he rasped with admiration. Then he teased them both with short, shallow thrusts, sliding his hands down along the fronts and backs of her thighs before positioning her legs against his chest, her ankles over his shoulders. She seemed pleased by this. Especially when he ceased the shallow thrusts and sunk fully into her. He loved hearing her cry out with pleasure, so he pulled back out almost the entire way and then buried himself to the hilt again.

"Ohhhh…God!"

And again.

"Peeta…yes…deep…"

And again.

"Aunggghh!"

He leaned further forward over her, stretching her but her body seemed flexible enough to handle it. He thrust deep and hard and was rewarded with her wildly thrashing below him, her fingers digging into the flesh on his arms.

"Shit…right there," she gasped as he thrust again. His cock was so engorged it was almost painful…but it was the best kind of pain.

"Please…"

He drove into her again.

"…don't…"

His balls tingled as they slapped against her ass.

"…stop…"

He had no intention of it. This ride wasn't stopping until they both reached their destination.

"Feels…"

He picked up his pace, roughly palmed one breast, rubbing his thumb over her erect nipple.

"…so…"

His lips met hers for a moment and then his rhythm continued.

"…goooooddd!"

When her walls contracted around him, his name passing through her lips, he couldn't hold back any longer. His hips bucked wildly of their own accord for several moments as he came. He breathed harshly and his heart pounded in his ears and the relief was blissful. He carefully moved her legs aside and slid down onto the bed next to her, one hand resting against her hip as he caught his breath. When he did, he removed and threw the condom into a nearby wastebasket and then turned onto his side. She turned onto hers to face him and they kissed for several minutes, comfortably intertwining their fingers and legs as they did so.

"I drool…"

"What?" Her first words after they stopped kissing confused him momentarily.

"In my sleep…a little…sometimes."

He smiled sleepily at her. He found her admission adorable and decided to offer one of his own. "I snore…sometimes on my back…but if you poke me in the side, I should stop."

"Okay."

"And you can drool all you want wherever you want."

She was smiling back at him. Her cheeks were bright and rosy but he knew most of the color in them was still from the pleasure she'd just experienced and not so much from embarrassment over their minor confessions. "You're very accommodating."

"I aim to please…you."

She leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss to his jaw. "You're good at that."

He gave her a slow grin and then pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her body around his and nuzzled her chin into his chest. He pulled the covers up over them and wrapped his arms around her as they fell asleep. For a while anyway.

**December (Katniss):**

Giggling. She was giggling. He had that effect on her and Katniss still didn't quite know what to make of that. But she knew she liked what he said and what he did. She liked knowing what he thought about things and hearing his plans. She liked feeling his hand at the small of her back and she liked feeling his lips at the back of her neck. Or the front of it. Or anywhere, really. Currently, they were at her ear and what he was suggesting was…very inappropriate. And the whole kitchen already knew how very inappropriate they were now with each other. Thankfully, no one really cared. Several were pretty supportive in fact. She hoped they would be self-sufficient too for fifteen minutes. Because Peeta was already headed toward the farthest walk-in fridge and she was trying not to stare at his ass as he walked, trying not to look too conspicuous. She gave a glance at the pending orders and at the staff moving around, working together like a well-oiled machine. She bit her lip and then moved as nonchalantly as she could in the direction Peeta had gone, pausing to readjust a fire exit sign on the bulletin board and to replace an extra clean pot on a rack before tugging open the heavy metal door and slipping inside the small, chilly room.

He had her pressed against the cool steel as soon as the pressure seal took hold. "Wait!" she implored him, stopping his kisses and pushing on his chest. "Back there."

He moved in the direction she had pointed, pulling her with him hastily. Once behind a shelf at the back of the fridge, he pinned her against the cold wall there, his mouth on her neck, one hand inside her blouse and the other under her skirt. "God, I have wanted to fuck you since you bent to pick up those damn menus." He was referring to hours earlier when one of their rookie waitresses had knocked over a whole stack of new menus in her office. She'd bent over to help pick them up before sending the waitress back out to the dining area, assuring her it was fine. Peeta had been walking by at the time. Katniss had not been unaware.

"Do you want me to bend over and retrieve anything at the moment?" she asked huskily.

He sunk two fingers into her and grunted with pleasure, she presumed at how she felt in addition to her tempting question. "Yes, but no, because I wanna take you up against this wall right now."

"So, do it."

His tongue was in her mouth as she felt him undoing his pants. She helped him and pumped his hard cock with her hand for just a few moments before he yanked her skirt up and her panties down and hoisted her up, balancing her between the wall and his hips. And then he slammed into her and she bit into her lip hard to keep from crying out too loudly. He muffled his own moan in her neck and then brought his lips up to her ear. "You…are the best boss ever." She smacked him playfully on the back and he just chuckled, thrusting into her again. "And I love…working…for you." She gasped into his hair, one arm slung over his shoulder, holding to him, and the other flung out to the side, her hand gripping the metal shelf next to them tightly. He was fucking her hard and fast, pressing her repeatedly into the cold wall. They could hear the bustle of the kitchen just outside the small space they occupied. The thrill of possibly getting caught in here doing what they were doing or even somehow being overheard was enough to up the intensity of the encounter by several degrees. She was close, teetering on the brink and she knew he knew it. It had only been a month but he knew her body so well already. He knew her well. And she enjoyed that immensely. Shifting so that he was supporting her with one arm, he moved his hand between them and his thumb to her clit. "And I love…making you…come." He flicked and pressed and circled. He still thrust. And he covered her mouth with his, drinking in her unstoppable moans. She shuddered around him and he emptied himself inside of her. In the time since their first joining, they had established that she was on the pill and they were both clear of anything infectious.

He kissed her, pulled back from her and let her legs drift back down until her feet were once again on the ground. They retrieved her underwear and she hastily put it back on, knowing she'd need to get herself to the restroom directly. She tugged her skirt back down and fixed her blouse as he tucked away his not yet flaccid penis and zipped up his pants. She sent him a look of utter satisfaction and he grinned widely. They made each other happy. She knew this. And it wasn't just physically like this. They were happy taking walks, telling each other stupid stories, going dancing, Christmas shopping together, watching tv, reading to each other, making food together, eating, sleeping. She knew she looked forward to kissing him the next night at midnight, though she couldn't know what the year ahead would hold for them. She knew that she was willing to find out though...excited to, even. Because Peeta made life more exciting and more content and more complete.

"I guess I'll go first again," he said in a low, conspiratorial tone and she nodded, kissing him once more before he turned and walked toward the door.

Just as he reached it, she called out softly for him to stop and watched him turn and quirk a curious eyebrow at her.

"Mr. Mellark," she said playfully. "I just wanted to give you a heads up. I may want some more hot buns later."

He let out a light laugh. "Certainly, Ms. Everdeen. Certainly."

* * *

**A/N:** Undoubtedly, they'll deal with folks who are less than supportive but did you really want to read about that or just stick with the happy and hot? ) Imagine what you will for their future. Perhaps hot cross buns (made with currants by the way)… ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Hot Buns, Valentine Buns**

SUMMARY: Katniss Everdeen has hired a baker whose buns are tempting everyone, mostly herself.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Hunger Games. The Trilogy of course belongs to Suzanne Collins. This is purely a work done for leisure and not for profit and no copyright infringement is intended in the use of these characters, their setting, or their situation. No copyright infringement is intended for any music, literature or other entertainment forms referenced within either.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, given some demand for this and also because I kind of fell in love with HB P and K, here's a continuation of HBHB. This isn't going to turn into a big 'ole story. There's just this and I may post other future scenes if I feel so inspired. I'm working on some other things I hope you'll like just as well. But here you go. It was meant to be up for Valentine's Day but life happens. Thanks for patiently waiting for it. Enjoy!

* * *

**February:**

"Getting hungry?"

Katniss startled for just a second and then grinned as she looked down and saw the almost-too-perfect-to-eat cupcake hovering just below her chin. She had been keeping busy reshelving books in the shop since customer traffic had died down significantly at this late hour. The cafe would be closing in a half hour and then she and Peeta would get to continue enjoying their first Valentine's Day together. Unfortunately, the holiday being a huge revenue day for eating establishments, there was really no way they would have found themselves anywhere but at the cafe that evening. It had never mattered much to Katniss before. She'd never felt particularly stoked for the day in the past, even when she was with Gale. But she and Gale had been similar in their "no frills" kind of ways, mocking convention and dealing in realism versus fantasy. Being with Peeta made her wonder though if she'd felt apathy or even disdain before for things that she just hadn't understood, things she hadn't experienced fully until she'd met him. Maybe it was just his love of life in general or maybe it was the extent of his feelings for her, which he freely expressed, but this year was different. And Peeta, it seemed, loved Valentine's Day.

"A girl could get spoiled here. And fat," she remarked, accepting the cupcake from him.

"Perfection can't be spoiled. And more of you to love? That would just be a gift."

She turned, screwing up her face at him in amusement. "Do lines like that get you somewhere, Mellark?"

His lips curved into a half-smirk. "I don't know, Everdeen. Do they?"

She just shook her head at him, a smile still on her lips. "Get back to work before I fire your ass."

Peeta chuckled then leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially, his eyes dancing with laughter. "Aren't there other things you'd rather do with my ass?" Then, he turned sassily away from her, taking on a strut and lifting the back of his chef's jacket every few steps so he could shake his ass at her rather comically. She tried to hold in her mirth but was unsuccessful and in the end, he turned and winked at the sound of her giggling as he pushed through the door, exiting the shop and heading back toward the kitchen.

She was alone in the shop and decided to sit at one of the reading tables for a few minutes and give her feet a break. She slid down into the nearest chair and rested her elbows on the tabletop as she carefully peeled the foil cup from the bottom of the cupcake. It was a beautiful little creation - no surprise there. It was a chocolate cupcake frosted with pink cream cheese icing, which was topped with two artfully splayed strawberry slices. But it held a secret. She knew because he had planned out his Valentine's offerings with her. This particular one had tempted her greatly and she hadn't had a chance to taste one until now. And Peeta knew this.

He still surprised her with his thoughtfulness and its regularity. From all she thought she remembered of 21-year-old guys (he'd celebrated his birthday in the fall), being sensitive to others was not a top priority. Being raucous and crazy and restless is what she had witnessed most often, with Gale, with his brothers, with college guys that hung out at the bars down the street on a regular basis. She had witnessed a hint of this over New Year's when Peeta had talked her into going to his best friend Finnick's party. Her boyfriend was a social being, talking with almost everyone there. After a few rounds of beer and a couple of shots, the talking had become noticeably louder and a bit slurred. There'd been dancing, some of it quite sloppy. Loud slaps on the back, uncensored belches, lewd jokes, and ridiculously complicated physical greetings (they hardly resembled handshakes) later and she had observed her boyfriend as "one of the guys." Still, he had respected her, had met her gaze from across the room when they'd been pulled into different conversations and had apologized profusely when he'd been bumped into and had accidentally spilled some beer on her shirt. She'd laughed it off but it still meant something to her that he had shown concern for it.

Katniss found little to support her fears in regard to whether or not their age gap would mean more work from her end in the relationship or a level of unfulfillment with someone too immature to understand her needs, her goals, and her view of herself as a person. Her worries of not being exciting enough for someone so young had thus far been unnecessary. Peeta just seemed a calmer soul than that. He preferred quiet nights in with her or going out to a movie or ice skating at the park to going to the slew of parties he was invited to. He preferred having a few friends over to his place to watch a game or play poker to going out to a bar for either of these activities. She wasn't sure if he was uninterested or if he had already gotten certain behaviors and experiences out of his system. Or maybe what she thought she knew of young twenty-something males was just a stereotype. In any event, he was very often the thoughtful boyfriend, ever generous in regard to her needs and desires…any and all of them. She did her best to reciprocate; she just didn't feel like she was innately good at it like it seemed he was. But he hadn't complained either.

She sunk her teeth into the cupcake and shut her eyes with pleasure as the moist strawberry and cream cheese center of it reached her tongue. The extra flavor was sweet and smooth. She chewed slowly, savoring it, and then took a second bite. Yep. It was as good as the first had been. Each subsequent bite was a welcome assault to her tastebuds. She alternated licking the frosting and strawberries from the top of the cupcake and whittling down the main body of it until the last bit of it passed through her lips. Peeta had a gift. There was no denying that.

She forced herself back up and finished putting away the books she had begun to earlier. Then, she discarded the cupcake wrapper and wiped the table she had enjoyed her treat at before closing out the shop register, turning off the lights and locking the door. She made her way across the outdoor eating area and into the kitchen. Out in the cafe, the last patrons were paying their tab and everyone was working on their closing procedures, so she quickly moved into the routine of helping them. Peeta stopped her in passing to smirk and wipe a chocolate crumb from the corner of her lips with his thumb. She smiled back at him and continued about her tasks until they had both said goodnight to the rest of the staff and all of the doors had been locked up.

"Ready for our date?" Peeta asked happily.

"Yes…" Katniss answered, a bit wary but curious to see what else he had up his sleeve. She had awoken to breakfast in bed, red velvet waffles with cream and berries, and a small vase of vibrant wildflowers sitting on her nightstand. Peeta and his messy blonde head had already disappeared from the abode, having left a note telling her he needed to run some errands and stop back at his place before heading into the cafe later that morning. He had spent the night as he'd been doing frequently for the past couple months. Still used to the baker's hours his parents had always kept, he was often up before her but she had still anticipated waking up in his proximity that morning, particularly being Valentine's morning. The waffles had been divine though and the flowers were exactly the kind she would have picked out for herself.

Before heading in to the cafe, Katniss made sure to retrieve the small gift bag she had put together for Peeta for that evening. They had agreed to have their own date after the cafe closed but she wasn't sure exactly what that was meant to entail. She wanted to be excited for it since all signs had indicated he was but she did inwardly hope for something low-key. And proving how well he really did seem to know her, it seemed that was just what Peeta had in mind.

"I thought we could just stay here for a while if you don't mind, have the place to ourselves for a change. Is that okay?"

Katniss smiled warmly at him. "Yeah. That's definitely okay."

"Good," he said, grinning. "I saved us a light dinner since I figured we might want to attack some heavy desserts afterwards."

"Good thinking."

He went into the nearest walk-in fridge and retrieved a large lipped plate covered with saran wrap. Peeling the plastic back and discarding it, he grabbed two forks and tilted his head for her to follow him out to the main dining area. They slid into a booth and Peeta handed her her fork. With all of the blinds down and only partial lighting on in the room, the quiet atmosphere was pretty nice. Peeta used a scripto lighter she hadn't seen him grab to light the small votive already sitting on the table. Her lips curved their approval as she dug her fork into the crisp field salad complete with dandelion greens and petals, tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, grilled chicken, walnuts and pears, with a balsamic vinaigrette.

They savored the salad in silence for a minute and then began to chat about some of the more interesting moments at the cafe that day, such as the few guys who had asked Katniss if the shop gift wrapped because they were obviously scrambling for a gift to give their significant others who were sitting alone for the moment in the cafe. "Amateurs," Peeta remarked confidently, much to Katniss' amusement. Peeta told her how Sae had buried a ring in mashed potatoes for one nervous gentleman and how the woman had said yes, after nearly choking on it.

"At least she didn't ingest it and have to wait for it to, um, come back out."

Peeta screwed up his face at that image. "Eww…thanks for that, by the way."

Katniss laughed. "Anytime. See how romantic I am?"

"You have your moments."

"I do, huh?"

"Yup. Like the bag tucked away behind the register that I am guessing is for me."

"Maybe," she teased.

"Did you just grab any bag or did you pick that one for any reason in particular?"

"I…well, it's swirled with light red, yellow, and orange, like sunset. You love sunsets."

"See. Romantic," he said matter-of-factly, smirking at her.

She pursed her lips. "Okay, you got me. On occasion, I do something that is maybe sort of romantic. But don't expect me to show up outside your place with a boom box blasting Peter Gabriel."

"What?"

Katniss stared at him for several seconds and then rolled her eyes and groaned. She was about to tell Peeta to stop being so young when his look of confusion changed over to one of utter amusement.

"I'm kidding. I've seen Say Anything, Katniss. Ione Skye…bet she still looks pretty good."

She reached across the table and smacked his arm. "She's older than I am. You have a problem."

Peeta reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone, quickly typing something into it. Katniss watched in confusion.

"She's seven years older than you…and she does look good." He held his phone out, so she could see a picture taken of the actress in recent years. "But not as good as you." Her lips twitched at this. "Did you know Susan Sarandon's dating a guy 30 years younger than her?"

"Well, aren't you up on celebrity gossip? I'm just learning all kinds of things about you tonight."

"Finnick's up on celebrity gossip. He pointed the whole Susan Sarandon thing out to me when I wasn't sure if you'd ever give us dating a chance because of the age difference."

"Is this supposed to be a selling point?"

"Do you need any selling points?"

She realized what she'd just said and glanced over at him with chagrin, meeting his eyes and shaking her head "no."

"Good. I'm just sharing. I know you get weirded out sometimes about us and sometimes you assume I don't get something because I'm younger, like the movie reference. And usually I do get it. Sometimes, maybe I don't or won't. But that could be the case if we were the same age. People have different life experiences and interests, especially men and women sometimes. Exactly how familiar was Gale with John Cusack and his propensity for lawnmowers and boom boxes?"

Katniss snorted. "Um…not very."

"There you go. There are going to be things we can relate on and things we can't but that's just couples, you know?"

She thought about this and her lips curved slightly. "Yeah." She took another bite of her salad. "And I did know about Susan Sarandon. I guess if Louise doesn't give a fuck about others or it not being the norm, I shouldn't either," she joked. She scanned his face for recognition; she couldn't help herself. She saw the twinkle in his eye.

"Indeed. Though I see you more as a Thelma…and I'm your J.D."

"You do have the blonde hair. And you're hot. But that didn't work out so well for Thelma."

"But I'd steal your heart, not your money."

Her laughter rang out in the quiet room. "Alright, enough iconic movie references for tonight. Your cheese level is dangerously high."

"You love my cheese."

Katniss sucked in a slight breath at the word "love," which was silly. He was only talking about her loving one of his characteristics. But if she loved his characteristics, did she love him? Maybe. Probably. She re-focused. That wasn't what he was asking. "Your cream cheese," she shot back.

"All of my cheese."

Or maybe it was. He had used the word "love" earlier in the bookshop too, though it was just part of a common turn of phrase. Her gaze dropped to his side of their salad. Distracting herself, she noticed that he had eaten most everything else but the fruit, which he had pushed into a little pile with his fork. "Shut up and eat your pears."

This made Peeta chuckle and he speared a couple slices, shoveling them into his mouth agreeably.

They ate in silence for another minute and then Katniss spoke again, a bit wryly. "So, is this as hot as your Valentine's Day last year?" She didn't know why she had asked that. She didn't want to hear about him getting hot with some pretty, young thing.

He seemed surprised but vaguely entertained by the question. "Hotter. This year, you're sitting over here eating with me." She gave him a look urging him to explain further. "I was here last year, with a mixed group of friends, kind of protesting the fact that only couples get to go out and enjoy delicious specials on Valentine's." Katniss racked her brain to remember. She did have memories of seeing Peeta in the cafe over the past couple years but she didn't have a specific one of last Valentine's Day. "It's fine if you don't remember. You were flitting around busily and you spent most of your time in the kitchen. But when I did see you chatting with Prim and Rory for a few minutes and later sharing a laugh with your friend Jo, I just wished it were me you were talking with so easily."

She gave him a warm smile. "Well, here we are."

He nodded. "Yes. And had I known you were just going to test my movie trivia and boss me around until I ate my fruit…"

"Peeta!"

He gave her a sly look before continuing. "I would have still wished for the same."

Her smile returned as she averted her gaze down to the greens. "I'm glad." She took a sip of water and looked up again when she heard him start to ask a question.

"What about you?" When he saw the look of confusion on her face, he clarified. "How does this compare to your last couple Valentine's Days?"

"Oh, it's…definitely hotter, I guess."

"You guess?"

The smile that he watched form on her lips was incredibly sexy. Not as sexy as the next thing she said though. "Well…I can be a pretty hot date for myself, you know."

"Oh…" After a moment, further realization dawned. "Ohhh…well, that's something I would definitely like to hear about."

Her giggle was music to his ears. "Maybe later."

He licked his lips and reached across the table to walk his fingers playfully up her own before taking hold of her hand gently. "So, were you just not dating anyone the last few V-days?" He didn't know why he had asked that. It might be a bit torturous hearing about the guys she had dated all the while he knew her but could never get the balls to try to really talk to her.

"I dated some men here and there. And yeah, I may have dated some in February, but no, I haven't had a date on Valentine's Day since I was married."

"Because you were just busy with the cafe?"

She shrugged. "It's not that I couldn't have made time to have a late dinner like this or anything. It's just that, to me, going out on Valentine's Day, much as I think a relationship is about more than just one day a year, isn't something to do unless you're at least on your way to something serious with someone."

His expression was thoughtful and then hopeful. "So...are you on your way to something serious with me?"

She saw the reflection of the votive's flame set against his dark, dilated pupils and the hint of the deep blue irises she knew surrounded them. His thumb traced light circles over the top of the hand he held. His mouth was slightly parted, his lips threatening a smile that could melt her heart again and again.

Was she? She hadn't intended on making any such declaration; the words of her explanation had just come naturally. She knew the answer to that question. She set her fork down and slid from her side of the booth. He looked up at her, his hand still holding hers, and he scooted helpfully when she eased onto his seat next to him.

"Yes," she said simply, watching him intently for his reaction. He didn't disappoint and she leaned forward and kissed the perfect arc of his perfect lips. She wasn't as good with words as he was, so she promised him this way. Silently, she promised that she did love many things about him and that she would stay open to loving more things along the way, that she would try to remember that they were just two people with two sets of experiences and that their individual experiences could enhance their shared ones. She promised that she would continue on this journey with him and see where it led and that it would be about them and not about any critics they might have, especially not those within. When she pulled back and saw the look of content on his face, she sensed he understood all this. It was one of the nicest things about him; he seemed to get her, sometimes, she thought, better than she even got herself.

They sat smiling at one another for another few moments and then Peeta's grin widened. "Good. Does that mean you want to give me my gift bag then?"

She laughed and got up to get the bag for him. Returning, she slid it in front of him, taking the seat next to him again. "Go ahead then, Mr. Eager."

"Don't act like you don't like my eagerness, Katniss," he teased, leaning sideways and giving her neck a playful nip. She sucked in a breath and saw him smiling at her as he pulled back and started to peek inside the bag. He pulled the card out first. She had gone through quite a few, knowing she didn't have the words she wanted to say but finding plenty that had too many words that weren't exactly ones she could call her own either. She watched him read the limited but true words and remembered how they had resonated with her when she'd read them:

_I get lost in your eyes,_

_feel at home in your embrace,_

_love to hear your voice,_

_and feel totally at home_

_in this place_

_we've only just begun to build_

_I'm looking forward to all that we have in store, dear Valentine_

_and here's to many more._

_Yours,_

_Katniss_

Admittedly, the "many more" had worried her but ultimately, she was cautiously hopeful and Peeta let her know how hopeful he was in every smile, every goodnight kiss, and every morning snuggle. His lips were curving as he read and then they were on hers, caressing them, plying them. She could get lost in more than just his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered, pulling back.

"You're easy to please, Mellark. Guess you don't even need the rest of the bag," she joked, reaching for it and letting him stop her.

"Never said that," he shot back playfully, turning and reaching into the bag again. He pulled out another smaller envelope and looked at her curiously. "One card wasn't enough to convey your feelings for me?"

She shook her head at him. "Just open it."

Doing so, he pulled out the paper rectangles inside. "Lumineers tickets! Seriously?! Katniss, this is awesome!"

"They're for April. It's an outdoor concert. Sounded pretty cool."

"It'll be amazing. We're gonna have so much fun."

"Oh, so you want me to be your date then?"

Peeta rolled his eyes at her and then his expression turned devilish. He leaned in closer and opened his mouth and she waited to see what he had to say.

"_I belong with you. You belong with me. You're my sweetheart_," he sang happily and she scrunched her nose at him as best she could, doing a poor job of looking unamused or displeased.

"Nope. Definitely can't be seen with you now."

His fingers went to her sides. "I have ways of convincing you."

She clamped her hands down over his and squirmed. "Geez…tickling, singing…do your torture methods know no bounds?"

"Ohhh…ohhh…" he reacted and challenged in a mock dramatic fashion. "I have other forms of torture. I'll happily introduce you to them." He placed his hand on the inside of her nearest knee and slid it upward, watching her face until his pinkie grazed the thin material at the junction of her thighs. Then, he bit his lip as though considering his devious options and slid his hand away, turning his attention back to his gift bag.

Katniss expelled the breath she had just sucked in. She felt anticipation at the promise his teasing actions made to her. Still, she was glad he was going to finish opening his gifts.

Peeta sifted through the handful of dark chocolate hearts in the bag, his favorite brand too. He felt warm inside at the little things like this. He had wanted her to know him for so long that it felt really, really good that she was showing him now that she did. The tickets, the chocolates, and now his fingers were closing over what looked to be some very nice stainless steel measuring spoons. Upon closer inspection, he saw that his initials were carved into the arm of each along with a tiny, intricate representation of a baked good. One of the spoon designs was clearly meant to depict one of his famous honey buns.

"Katniss, these are great! Where did you even…how…?"

"My friend Cinna. He's a designer. Usually, he's more likely to work images into fabric, fashion accessories, etc, but he helped me render these images and hooked me up with one of his friends, Portia, who can do fine engravings like these. I hope the spoons are okay. I tried to pick some with high ratings on baker swag dot com."

Peeta tried not to laugh; he really did. "Baker swag dot com?"

"Umm…yeah," she offered in a tiny, embarrassed voice. "Do they suck? I'm sorry if their quality isn't as good as you need. I thought…"

"They don't suck. They're amazing. I like this kind. I just haven't honestly heard of that site…but maybe I should check it out."

Katniss gave a light shrug. "Maybe."

Peeta looked at each tiny design more closely, smiling to himself. Then, he turned to face his girlfriend again, bringing his thumb and forefinger to her chin and leaning in to place a lingering but chaste kiss on her lips. "Thank you, for these gifts and…for being my valentine this year," he said softly, sincerely.

"You're welcome. And as your valentine, I am guessing you want to share some sweet treats with me," she said, not so surreptitiously shooting a glance toward the nearby baked goods display.

He laughed lightly. "I definitely do. But I have something else to share with you too, or rather, give to you. Come on," he said, motioning with his head for her to slide out of the booth so he could do the same. Then, he took her hand and led them back through the kitchen to her small office. He moved over to her small bookshelf and pulled out a large wrapped rectangle from behind it. She hadn't even noticed it had been pulled away from the wall a bit.

"What did you…?"

"Just open it," he said, sliding it her way.

Her lips curled into a half smile and her curious excitement took over. She found a spot to begin tearing the red foil and soon exposed the top of what appeared to be a beautiful dark green wooden frame with tiny design etchings in browns and silvers. She ran her fingers over silver leaves and brown branches, little gray flowers and tan butterflies, all subtly entwined with one another around the entirety of the frame. She was so awed by the perfection of the frame itself that it took her a few long moments to finish pulling the paper away completely and to really look at what Peeta had actually framed.

Her soul, that's what he'd framed. Or at least a portion of it expressed through the things she loved to read, the things that spoke to her. Peeta had created an art piece (on Thanksgiving, she'd learned that he enjoyed creating art through mediums other than food as well) that included some quotes from the book recommendations she had made to him or from books she had talked with him about enjoying or from authors she enjoyed. And he'd included his own painted or illustrated representations of the quotes behind, adjacent to or surrounding them.

There were some from **Diana Gabaldon's Outlander** **series**, which Peeta had enjoyed reading just as much as she always did-the two main characters thrown together at such a dangerous but exciting time, all of the history surrounding the rebellion, the actual wars and fighting, the times they were parted and their beautiful, though challenging, reunions, the humor, the sex… She smiled to herself. Peeta had found the books _inspiring_.

**_"For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying and it is enough."_**

**_"Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own."_**

**_"Dinna be afraid. There are the two of us now."_**

**_"If it was a sin for you to choose me…then I would go to the Devil himself and bless him for tempting ye to it."_**

She laughed at the last one she found:

**_"Men would eat horse droppings, if ye served them wi' butter."_**

"If I hang this here, I'd best not let any health inspectors see that one. I'm still inclined to believe it's true though."

Peeta laughed. "So am I."

Grinning, Katniss looked over the quotes some more. "Well, there's a better statement for the cafe," she said, looking over **Paula Deen's** so eloquent declaration:

**_"I don't want to spend my life not having good food going into my pie hole. That hole was made for pies."_**

There were plenty of more somber or thought-provoking quotes as well.

**_"That's one of the reasons I never wanted to get married. The last thing I wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow shoots off from. I wanted change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself, like the colored arrows from a Fourth of July rocket." -Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar_**

She remembered discussing this quote with Peeta a bit before. She had told him that her marriage had left her feeling like this at times, that she had dreams and Gale had dreams but somehow his were always bigger. She wasn't opposed to getting married again one day but she knew she had to tend her own dreams now as well, that she was allowed to be the arrows too. She also knew it was okay to be the bow, to support the arrow, but that neither was worth much if it wasn't working with the other. The next few **Plath** quotes were just very typical of Katniss' own enjoyments:

**_"I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery-air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, 'This is what it is to be happy.'"_**

**_"I am sure there are things that can't be cured by a good bath but I can't think of one."_**

**_"I collect men with interesting names."_**

She saw he had drawn a pitifully humorous self-portrait next to that last one, complete with big blue puppy dog eyes, and the laughter bubbled up within her again. "It's a very esteemed, very small collection you know…currently a collection of just one," she teased him.

"Better be. Who else has a name that sounds so interesting and carbalicous all at once? I'm a rare find. You should be pleased."

"And he's humble too," she shot back, rolling her eyes before bringing their attention back to her present.

**_"And meanwhile the sad truth was that not everyone could be extraordinary, not everyone could be extremely cool; because whom would this leave to be ordinary?" -Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections_**

"With you being so extraordinary, I guess it's good that I help fill the ordinary quotient."

"Don't kid yourself, Katniss. You're the extraordinary."

"Buttering me up, now?"

"Butter's not what I had in mind, but nah, not until you're done enjoying your gift."

She lifted an eyebrow at him, amused, but continued to peruse the quotes before her.

**_"But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights, listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest, reading signs and sounds as a man may read a book, and seeking for the mysterious something that called - called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come." -Jack London, The Call of the Wild_**

She understood the signs and sounds so well. She thought, not for the first time, that she needed to take Peeta out into the woods with her, to see his experience of it.

**_"That's what was great about him. He tried. Not many do."_**

**_"You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only…from human relationships. God has placed it all around us…and all you have to do is reach for it."_**

Both quotes from** Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild** reminded her that her boyfriend had told her he'd like to see every part of her world, all the places where she thrived.

**Lionel Trilling's Sincerity and Authenticity** held thoughts with which she could not disagree:

_**"We who are liberal and progressive know that the poor are our equals in every sense except that of being equal to us."**_

_**"Literature is the human activity that takes the fullest and most precise account of variousness, possibility, complexity, and difficulty."**_

But some of her favorite included quotes were those from **Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird**:

**_"Mockingbirds don't do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corn cribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."_**

**_"Before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."_**

**_"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."_**

She took a deep breath, as though all of the words were the air filling her lungs. It was wonderful. And the intermixed drawings and painting from Peeta - a mockingbird, a steaming bathtub, a forest's edge, a stack of well-worn books, a pie, a devil, his own comical self-portrait - it was the most personal, special and well thought out gift she had ever received and she told him so.

His face beamed with the compliment. "I'm glad. There are so many more quotes I could have included…"

"These are great. You're great! I love this, every bit of it," she said, placing the frame down and propping it against her desk.

He accepted her embrace as naturally as his arms accepted sleeves and they stood, holding each other in her office for several long moments. "I have something else for you too," he said, pulling back to look at her.

"Peeta! This is more than enough."

"Well, I couldn't help myself," he said, by way of explanation, producing a small square box from his pants pocket.

Katniss' eyes widened when she saw it. It wasn't small enough to be the kind of box that would probably scare her right now. It was clearly a jewelry gift box though.

"I hope you like it," he said, placing it in her uncertain hand.

She met his eyes for a moment and then looked down at the box, carefully using her other hand to open it. Inside was a beautiful single pearl necklace on a delicate silver chain.

"It was so simply elegant. There aren't any embellishments. It just is what it is and what it is is beautiful. I think anything I saw at the store would have looked beautiful on you but this one just seemed like it _was_ you. I know I'm being cheesy again but that was my reasoning. I saw this and knew I had to get it for you."

She brushed her fingers gently over the pearl and its chain. She blinked to control the moisture threatening to leak from her eyes. "It's perfect," she whispered, half to the necklace, half to its purchaser. She looked up to see him watching her with a quizzical expression on his face, part concern and part satisfaction. "Will you put it on for me?"

"Of course." She turned and lifted her hair and he removed the necklace from the box, fastening it at the back of her neck. When she turned, he smiled because "perfect" is just how he thought it looked against her skin.

She looked down, twisting her neck oddly to see it and then looked back up into his adoring face. "Thank you, Peeta. These gifts…I'm not great with words to begin with and I think you've nearly left me speechless here, but just thank you. I feel so lucky. I was already lucky when I woke up today…because I have you. And that's all I really needed today."

He stroked her hair with one hand, placing the other lightly over her chest, his thumb brushing the pearl there. He pressed his forehead to hers and rubbed his nose gently past hers before drawing her lips to his own. "You're plenty great with words," he said, drawing back. "You're more than welcome. I'm the lucky one. And I'm pretty sure there was something else you needed today."

"And what is that exactly?"

He grinned mischievously at her. "Dessert! Come on!"

Giggling, she let him take her hand and tug her back out to the cafe until they stopped behind the glass baked goods and desserts counter.

"Everything in this display looks blissful," she remarked.

"So, let's have a little bit of everything then."

Grinning, she nodded her agreement and reached in to retrieve a small plate of chocolate covered strawberries. She knew that these had just been replaced not long before the restaurant had closed because they regularly replaced any cold items in the display for freshness and visual appeal. Still, the chocolate was definitely in the process of melting. Looking into the pleased eyes of her boyfriend, she felt a bit inspired…to do more with these desserts than just eat them. She lifted a strawberry, eyeing it for a moment before holding it above her mouth and darting her tongue out to lick the softening chocolate. She met Peeta's eyes and let her tongue reemerge and run the circumference of the strawberry before she placed her lips around the bottom of it and sucked. In one smooth movement, his fingers gripped the berry's stem. She raised an eyebrow at him and he gazed at her intently.

"You like this?" he asked, sliding two fingers down over the body of the fruit until they touched her lips.

"Mmmhmm," she responded, her lips vibrating slightly as the sound pushed past them.

His fingers traced first her upper and then her lower lip. She held his eyes as he slid them back up to the stem and pressed the ripe berry forward. She opened her mouth wider and he pushed it further in, but as she began to suck harder on the chocolate covering, he started to pull it back past her lips. But two could tease like this, so she caught the berry with her teeth and bit through it.

"Biting…tsk, tsk."

She grinned as she chewed slowly, not quite closing her mouth, such that a trickle of juice started to make its way down her chin.

Peeta understood her game and he was more than willing to play. His mouth swooped in as the juice touched her neck, his tongue stretching forward to catch it, lest it drift down onto her new necklace. He licked and sucked it back up to her mouth before pulling back and biting the remainder of the strawberry from its stem. He trailed the green stalk down Katniss' jaw and neck as he chewed and swallowed. Retrieving another strawberry, he bit the bottom tip from it and brought his mouth down to cover hers. She opened for him and tasted the tart and the sweet as the bit of fruit fell into her mouth. It was tossed around by the motions of their tongues; they played at passing it back and forth until she sucked it from his tongue and drew back to finish making it hers.

"Thank you for sharing," she purred.

His eyes sparkled as he assured her "there's much more to share" and then he asked her to wait right there. She did, picking up and finishing eating the remainder of the second strawberry where he'd set it down. He returned after a couple minutes, carrying out one of the small red velvet milkshakes they'd been offering on their dessert menu that night. He pointed the straw in her direction and offered her a sip. She let her lips linger on the plastic as she drew a slow sip of the frothy liquid into her mouth. The taste was rich, creamy and soothing. Peeta smiled and set the glass down on the counter behind her, his fingers tracing the neckline of her dress into the center of its deep V. He slipped them beneath the fabric and beneath the lace and satin of her bra, sliding both aside and baring her left breast to him. She bit her lip lightly, anticipating. His hand covered her exposed mound, his thumb rubbing teasing circles around its hardening nub as he reached for the glass with his other hand and brought the straw to his mouth, taking a long sip as she watched him. His lips curled around the straw and she knew he was enjoying himself immensely, which assured her she would enjoy whatever he had in mind just as much. She gasped as he pinched her nipple lightly, whilst setting the glass back down. And then his mouth was on her and she jumped and squeaked briefly at the change in sensations from the slight burn of his fingers to the shocking chill of his mouth surrounding her. He sucked and teased her with his tongue, withdrawing to smile at the dark, erect nub before him.

"More?" he asked lightly, straightening back up and offering her the straw. She took two shallow breaths and drank more of the milkshake, watching him. "Ah, ah, ah…not too much. I'm so not done with this yet." He confirmed this statement by sipping from the straw after her, visibly swishing the liquid around in his mouth slowly and setting the glass back down.

"You're evil," she accused huskily as he trailed his left hand down the other side of her neckline and exposed her other breast to the air and his ministrations.

"No, I'm not," he said lowly, dipping his head once more, one hand gripping her waist tightly as her body jolted again and the other palming her still sensitive twin peak.

Katniss gripped at the glass behind her and, realizing the futility of that, reached forward and gripped his hair and his shirt as he swirled his quickly warming tongue over her puckered flesh. "Peeta," she breathed, as the pleasure ran a straight course from her chest to her belly and below. The hand on her waist moved down her thigh and then back up, squeezing her ass possessively. Peeta moved his mouth to her other nipple and brought his other hand down and beneath her dress to stroke her between her thighs. Her knees buckled, his hands helping to keep her upright even as the one threatened to bring her down. She leaned back against the counter, moaning at the combined treat of his mouth and his hands. She wondered why he didn't slide her panties to the side and touch her more fully but she sensed he had other plans. When he pulled back from her abruptly, she knew she was right.

"Let's not do any more damage to your dress," he said, eyeing the V where it had been stretched out over her chest and then the place where his hand still bunched up a handful near her hip. She nodded her assent and he pulled the dress up over her head. Then, he reached around her and released the clasp of her bra, pulling it free of her body and draping it over the register with her dress. "Better," he husked, pressing his body to hers and kissing her languorously. Katniss took the opportunity to reach her fingers between them and unbutton his shirt, sliding it down over his broad shoulders and muscular arms and gripping it behind him as she pressed her chest up into his, relishing in the skin on skin contact. His hands found the backs of her thighs and lifted, supporting her weight as he pressed her more tightly to the glass case. Her lower back stuck to it as he began a torturous rotation of his hips. He was growing hard for her and with every teasing pass of his hips, she wanted more. She crossed her ankles behind him but he held back on purpose. And there were still pieces of clothing between them. Katniss growled her frustration but Peeta just chuckled, ending their kiss. "What's your deal, Mellark?" He leaned forward and sucked her earlobe into his mouth for a moment before speaking next to her ear. "It's Valentine's Day." When she shot him an impatient look as he stepped back, releasing her legs, he elaborated. "You don't rush dessert on Valentine's Day." Oh. "Let's have some more."

His hands were at her waist the next second and he lifted her up so that she was seated on top of the counter. Taking his shirt from her, he set it on top of the growing pile of clothing on the register. Then, he crouched and reached toward a shelf below and she watched his hand through the glass display at her bottom, seeing him pull out a pie, the special variety he had made for today, black currant pie. He set it next to her on the counter and cut a slice from it. Holding the perfect wedge up to her crust side first, because he knew she liked his crusts the best, he said "taste." She took a healthy bite, the buttery crust melting away in her mouth and blending with the sweet tang of the sugared currants. He set the slice down and brought his hands to her inner thighs, his thumbs teasing strokes over them as he pushed them further apart. Katniss gripped to the other side of the counter, preparing herself, as his intentions were more than clear. If they hadn't been, the next words out of his mouth would've provided the additional clues.

"I want to taste _your_ sweetness, Katniss. I want _your_ juices on my chin."

"Please," she whimpered as he bent forward and rested his elbows against the glass, his mouth hovering above her dampened black panties. He brought his lips to them, his mouth parted and his hot breath seeping through the thin, lacy fabric to her tingling flesh beneath. Then he licked her through them and she cried out. And he did it again and she spread further for him, the muscles in her legs tight with anticipation. He ran his tongue along the edge of her panties where they met her inner thighs. He snaked it under the edge of them, flicking over her swollen lips briefly. And then, as she looked down at him, he carefully took the material between his teeth and shifted it to the side, exposing her heated center to him. She gasped at the unexpected but highly arousing move and arched upward as his tongue seared her clit in a short pass. It flicked over her again before sliding through her wet lips, teasing her and exploring every inch of her as though it hadn't traversed it before. She panted above him, savoring every bit of titillation and torture. Surprise shown on her face when he pulled back but he only wanted to remove her underwear completely. The slight break gave her an idea though and it was her turn to surprise him.

As his tongue found its way back into her folds, with shaky hands, she managed to reach for the slice of pie she had tasted minutes ago. Peeta noticed her movements and looked up, slowing but not ceasing his actions, curiosity in his big blue eyes. His tongue penetrated her and she nearly crushed the piece of pie in her hand but somehow she managed to keep it intact and set it down such that the point hovered right above her clit. "Taste," she encouraged, as he had for her. At his own pace, he trailed his tongue upward toward her offering. Thoughts of the movie "American Pie" crossed his mind and he felt somewhat amused, but seeing the playfulness and desire on her beautiful face, he was interested to see what could be done with this situation and how he could make that face he adored flush deeply for him. His tongue circled her clit and flicked upward to lick both her and the end of the pie wedge. It wasn't much of a taste, so he remedied that on his next pass, taking a bite of the pie, his teeth just barely grazing the hood of her flesh and earning him a strangled sound from her. He rested his chin against her as his mouth worked the piece slowly, his eyes looking up to hers, dark with lust. He took another bite and dragged his jaw along her inner thigh as he chewed and swallowed it. Then, he stood and kissed her, dipping his tongue into her mouth so she could taste the pie and taste herself. He sucked a bit of the dark filling from her lower lip and then bent back down between her thighs, adhered his mouth to her where he knew it mattered most, and sucked. Licked and sucked in a pattern that stole her breath again and again. He moved the pie back to the dish off to the side and put the flat of his tongue to her, pulling her pelvis closer and rocking her against his mouth. One of her small hands came to the back of his head, buried in his hair as he continued to lave her. Her back arched and her hips bucked as her orgasm shuddered through her.

He kissed his way back up her body until her lips met his, thanking him. He loved the array of tastes in their mouths, a reminder of each enjoyable part of their evening so far. But a true Valentine's Day taste was chocolate and the strawberries hadn't met this need nearly enough.

As he continued to kiss her, he slid a hand down her body, floating over her breast, tiptoeing down over her abdomen and coming to rest midway between her hips. His thumb lightly stroked her clit as the kiss became more heated. Her moans, though muffled, increased in volume as this continued and as he reached further to slip two fingers inside of her. His own moans nearly leapt out of his throat as she gripped him firmly through his pants and began stroking. Much as he loved it though, he didn't need any more foreplay. He told her so.

"Katniss," he said, his voice tight with need, "I just need to be inside of you."

She released him, fervently nodding her agreement, and he stepped back to hastily remove his pants and boxers. She slid down from the case, knowing its height wouldn't quite work for their next endeavor. Instead, she turned and faced the display, partially bending over the top, pressing her breasts to the glass her bottom had just been warming. She heard him suck the air in through his nose and felt the heat of his body as it moved nearer. He stopped just behind her and crouched down. She saw a movement below her and looked through the glass to see him pull out a chocolate mini-cake. It was another one of those treat-within-a-treat items like the cupcake she'd had earlier. He placed a few kisses and a light nip on her ass before standing and aligning his whole body to hers. His cock nestled between her thighs, against her lips but not inside them, he used one hand to move her braid so that it hung over her left shoulder while reaching around to hold the cake to her lips with the other. "Now, you can bite."

She thought back to his cupcake offering earlier in the evening and smirked. This was quite a bit different than earlier. She opened her mouth and took a bite of the cake, the moist crumbs and the inner chocolate sauce coating her tongue. It was like a molten chocolate cake minus the heat. That was fine; they didn't need any more heat right now. She moaned her approval at the satisfying heavy sweetness and gave pause as she felt Peeta straighten some and place the rest of the cake on the upper middle of her back. Wondering at his reasoning, she noticed that his swollen head was at her ready entrance a second before he thrust inside of her. She gripped the counter and exhaled a harsh breath. He retreated almost fully and then thrust again. She felt chocolate begin to seep from the inside of the small cake onto her back and he thrust again. She felt his tongue lap at the chocolate and he filled her again.

Her cries resounded off the glass. His fingers held a wet piece of cake to her lips and she received it, sucking the excess chocolate from his fingers as he continued his steady entry and withdrawal. She felt his tongue and his teeth on her skin as he bent to eat the remainder of the cake. It was driving her crazy - the erotic act of him feeding further from her naked body as well as the controlled action of his hips, giving her some but not all of what she wanted, what she knew he wanted too. He leaned forward and turned her face up and back to him, his mouth taking hers in a passionate kiss. It may have been the wettest, sweetest kiss they had ever shared. Sweet in taste, not in temperament. In temperament, it was lustful, hot, greedy and, appropriately, hungry. It was a kiss that demanded more. Her teeth caught his lower lip as he pulled away and his eyes flashed their pleasure for a second before he thrust into her hard and she released him on a gasp. He stood back up and slid his fingers through the remainder of the chocolate sauce on her back; she knew the sticky liquid must now be stuck to his chest as well and she longed to see it. She rose up a bit on her arms, turned to look, and grinned at the dark splotches on his otherwise fair chest.

"Like what you see?"

"Yeah. You're looking tasty...and dirty."

"Guilty as charged." His hands slid around to cup her breasts, their sticky liquid covering providing a new kind of wet friction. She moaned as he tugged at her nipples and she arched her back and pushed back against him, wanting more. He brought his hands to her shoulders and moved them down her arms, straightening them as he went such that her chest leaned fully on the counter and her arms stretched back toward Peeta. He held to her wrists, his thumbs resting over her pulse points and slowly he began to build up the intensity of his thrusts, going deeper, angling more purposefully. She laid her head down on the glass and let him take her where she knew she could trust him to. In the moments that her eyes weren't squeezed shut with sensation, she gazed down upon each and every one of Peeta's lovingly prepared creations, each well thought out for the day, each sensuous in its own way, each guaranteed to leave a positive last impression on their patrons. His talent amazed her. He amazed her…and overwhelmed her in the best ways, like he was doing right there at the front of the cafe.

Peeta moved his hands so that they were first under and then linked with hers. He bent forward and moved their left hands to the counter again for support and then he brought their right hands beneath her. His hand guided hers to the aching center of her pleasure. With his fingers as well as her own, they rubbed her clit, teased it and circled it, two persons and two hands knowing exactly what they were doing. "Peeta," she moaned, her insides turning molten as his hard cock kneaded them relentlessly and their deft fingers caused pleasure to spread from the pit of her belly to her hips and thighs and through her swollen lips in repeated tremors and jolts.

"Yes, Katniss…come for me, my valentine." His voice was gravelly with his need, with how close he was to his own precipice. It was the sexiest sound…and coupled with the slippery sounds of their bodies working together, the slight creak of the glass case from the pressure they were exerting on it, and the heated sounds of their rasping breaths and moans, it was more than enough to push her over the edge. Their hands stilled as she cried out, lost to herself, to time and space for those precious moments. Peeta gently released her hands as she quieted; his made their way to her hips and he held her firmly in place as he finished fucking her, his hips slamming into hers, his cock filling her again and again until he trembled and choked out her name.

A minute later, when they felt able to attempt to move, Peeta slid from her and moved to lean against the counter next to her. She straightened and moved to lean against him, to press her front to his. Her lips soon followed and his fingers skimmed her back as he kissed her lovingly.

"Well, one thing is certain," he said when he released her lips.

"What's that?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"The cafe's desserts are definitely better this year than last."

She laughed with him and welcomed his mouth to another leisurely taste of her own before they both pulled back once more. "Happy Valentine's Day, Peeta."

A slow smile spread across his lips. He knew this wasn't her norm, that this wasn't a day she typically recognized too greatly, but she had celebrated it with him. And not halfheartedly either. It meant a lot to him, told him things about her feelings for him even if she couldn't tell him yet herself. He knew it was only a matter of time before he voiced all of his own to her, said the exact configuration of words he'd already whispered at dawn while she was still fast asleep at a different time when she was ready to hear them. But, for now, he would tell her in other ways.

"Happy _first_ Valentine's Day, Katniss."

The light in her eyes told him she understood…and that this would be the first of many.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, there it is. Hope it was enjoyable. Also, I cited way too many things in here. I tried to bold the book stuff for reference. I referenced some movies, some actresses, and The Lumineers, none of which I own, obviously...duh. Katniss' Valentine's card is one I actually saw and darn it, now I can't find where to cite it but um, no copyright intended...kudos to the card writer. Oh, and the food in this...it all exists. Check my tumblr (everydayescapeartist dot tumblr dot com) and I may post some Peeta dessert!porn there. Yum!


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